


A U G U S T - Detroit Become Human Reader Insert

by gracehateseggnog



Series: 2038 [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Album: folklore (Taylor Swift), Angst, Artist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Badass North (Detroit: Become Human), Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Carl Manfred & Markus Parent-Child Relationship, Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Markus & North (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Mentioned North (Detroit: Become Human), No Sex, No Smut, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Reader-Insert, Romance, Soft Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Song: august (Taylor Swift), Supportive North (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29230338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracehateseggnog/pseuds/gracehateseggnog
Summary: "August slipped away into a moment in time."Years of hoping for the androids to reclaim their equality was too long to wait for Y/N, so they started running a covert operation with their medical background. It's mentally and physically draining, but life stops for no-one.Markus x Reader story.Rated PG-13 for strong language and alcohol use.Gender Neutral Pronouns  (Please correct me if I make any mistakes)I'm trying to make this story as flexible to you as possible, so please let me know if there's anything I can do to make a specific sentence spread to a wider demographic :)
Relationships: Markus (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader
Series: 2038 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145753
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Shades of Color - Markus

_ "Salt air, and the rust on your door." _

The Greek district was full of people in the early morning, and Markus was surprised to see everyone running around the orange and yellow trees. A young girl ran past him, jumping into the arms of another android. He continued walking through the chilly streets, trying to find the paint shop.

**GO TO BELLINI PAINTS SHOP**

Pretty self-explanatory. Most of the park streets were covered from the sun by gorgeous maple leaves, but the rest of the main city district was completely open, all of the skyscrapers visible even from hundred of feet below. Markus waited for the green light at the cross section, gazing over to the woman sitting on the street with a  _ Ban Androids  _ sign. The traffic light switched and he walked across the road, entering a smaller shopping area. There was a man with a guitar, playing soft melodies. Markus always liked guitar music in particular, there was something soothing about it that he just couldn’t put his finger on.

The music was rudely interrupted by the protests that could be heard from all the way across the road, a man with a megaphone leading the rally. “We need to ban androids!” He yelled loudly. Markus shook his head, not wanting to get involved. He continued making his way to the paint shop, trying to avoid confrontation by dodging out of people’s way.

One of the preachers who was yelling stopped, looking over to Markus. “Why do you look at me so, demon? I know who you are, I can see through you!” He spat. “You are the one by whom The Evil will come! You are the one who will destroy Detroit!” The android kept a straight face despite the preacher yelling in his face. Instead of creating confrontation, Markus left, making his way towards Bellini Paints shop again.

The beautiful colors placed on the walls really brightened up the room, and an android was standing at the desk, already discussing an order with another person. “I ordered a can of Pharlap yesterday, I’m here to pick it up.” They spoke, handing the android their credit card. He nodded, scanning it and passing them the color. “Thanks!”

“No problem, Doctor L/N.” The EM400 replied politely. The Doctor L/N in question quickly left the paint store, letting Markus walk over to the desk. He placed his synthetic hand onto the android scanner, his skin peeling back and turning white.

“Identification verified. Here’s your order, #847.” The android spoke, handing Markus a large box of paints. “That’ll be $63.99. Please confirm the payment.”

Markus’ LED blinked yellow as he communicated with the android. “Payment confirmed.” He stated, grabbing the box.

“Transaction complete.”

The RK800 left the shop, walking over to the bus stop to return to Carl at home. He passed clothing stores of all kinds, glancing into windows and screens at anything he thought that Carl would enjoy. Markus made his way through the protests to try and get there, only to be approached by the leader of the group.

“Where the fuck are you going, tin can?” The man asked, Markus staying silent. “No kiddin’, hey guys, check it out. We got one right here.” He snickered.

A woman from the protest approached, the rest of the group creating a circle around Markus and the man. “Look at this little motherfucker.” She spoke, pushing him to the ground. “You steal our jobs, but you can’t even stand up.” Although Markus tried to push himself up, the man kicked him down again. The protesters yelled in happiness as the android was kicked to the ground again, and again, and again.

“What the fuck!?” Someone yelled. “Howard, get your bitch ass away from the androids, you’re doing nobody any good.” The protesters began dispersing, laughing at the leader who was being told off by someone who seemed a bit younger than him.

“Look, Y/N, I-”

“You have your own android at home, don’t pretend you hate them.” Markus turned onto his back, his hands supporting the top half of his body. The person in the paint shop just moments earlier was telling the leader of the protests to stop hurting him. Whoever the ‘Howard’ person was quickly left, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Y/N held their hand out, helping Markus up off of the ground. He nodded in thanks, earning a quick look of panic to shoot through the human. “Shit! I have to go. Fuck, Inez is gonna kill me.” Before Markus could even think about saying another word, the person had gone.

Thankfully, though, the rest of the protesters had left, letting Markus grab the box of paints and step onto the bus peacefully. He stood where the other androids were riding in the separated-off zone, closing his eyes and letting his system go into a resting mode.

_ "I never needed anything more." _


	2. Shades of Color - Y/N

_"Whispers, of 'are you sure?',"_

Bellini Paints was Y/N’s comfort place. After being rejected time after time by CyberLife to become a technician, they finally dropped it, instead choosing to bask in life before things went downhill for Detroit. They knew that something was going to happen with androids, growing up around them and working with them for most of their life led them to know that they’d peel themself off from the human reign sooner or later. So, to prepare, Y/N began to create an underground network of clinics specifically for androids. It had spread throughout Detroit, only a few, though, as Y/N didn’t have enough funding to pay more employees. So, they worked as a regular IT technician by the day, and whenever they weren’t working, they’d join their friends in the clinic and take in abused androids. Sometimes, to escape from the chaos of the real world, Y/N would stop by Bellini Paints, just to simply gaze upon the beautiful colors and tones that were splashed upon the walls.

The android at the front desk greeted them kindly as usual. “Hello, Doctor L/N.” He spoke, nearly smiling. Y/N looked at the fake badge still tied to their jacket. It came in quite useful when looking for thirium and extra biocomponents.

“Hello.” They greeted in return, hearing the bell chime at the door behind them. “I ordered a can of Pharlap yesterday, I’m here to pick it up.” Y/N stated. The can of paint was specifically for the location clinic they worked at, many more child-like androids were coming in, so they wanted to make it look more homey. The technician handed the android their credit card, waiting for him to scan it before taking it back alongside the can of paint. “Thanks!”

“No problem, Doctor L/N.” The android replied. Y/N walked out of the paint store, barely catching a glimpse of the RK model that had walked in after them. The brisk November air whipped across their cheeks, the Detroit skyline _just_ visible over the red and orange-covered trees.

Of course, having androids beginning to work and take jobs easily caused a lot of protests, and Y/N was _so_ lucky to witness one on that day. Hint the sarcasm? Yeah. “Where the fuck are you going, tin can?” One of the protesters yelled, loudly. Y/N whipped their head around, spotting the RK200 that was in Bellini Paints just moments before. “No kiddin’, hey guys, check it out, we got one right here.”

Why the fuck were people so insistent on androids being demolished? Y/N sighed, never truly knowing the answer to their own question. They set their can of paint down on one of the nearby benches, looking over to see the android being harassed more and more by another protester in the group. “Look at this little motherfucker.”

Y/N then spotted the leader of the protest, and came to a realization. It was Howard, their co-worker at the IT company they worked at. Fury coursing through their veins, Y/N walked over ot the protest, yelling at the protesters. “What the fuck?! Howard, get your bitch ass away from the androids, you’re doing nobody any good.” They hissed, looking towards the co-worker.

Around them, the protesters began filing away, snickering. Howard sighed, clearly not wanting to lose his credit. “Look, Y/N, I-”

“You have your own android at home.” They stated, rolling their eyes. “Don’t pretend you hate them.” Howard walked away slowly, quite embarrassed. Y/N looked at the RK200 on the floor, helping him up off of the concrete. The android thanked them by nodding, a simple gesture, but for an android, it meant quite a lot. Y/N looked at their watch, 9:50am, the clinic was supposed to be open already. “Shit!” They exclaimed. “I have to go. Fuck, Inez is gonna kill me.” They didn’t speak another word to the RK200, although they wished they had, as they grabbed their paint off of the bench and speed-walked towards the android clinic location.

Inez was an interesting character. Being one of Y/N’s best friends and one of the best technicians in the clinic branches, she was amazingly helpful and kind. But, when it came to being late or skipping out on work, she was _very_ strict. Even though Y/N _was_ the boss of the clinics.

Y/N ran into the small, abandoned-looking building. It used to be a small apartment building, squished in between two others, but everyone quickly dispersed from it after rent in Detroit hiked up. Inez met her inside, where the front rooms split into hallways and staircases. “I am _so_ sorry, there was this android protest and these guys were all being pissy and Howard was there, and you know me, I _had_ to put him in his place and-”

“Woah, woah.” Inez spoke. “Slow down. I’ve just finished the last patient from last night, all of the rooms are empty, I’m in a good mood.” She laughed. “Plus, you _are_ the boss here, and I don’t wanna get fired.”

Y/N chuckled. “You’re a volunteer, remember?” The door chimed before they could continue talking. A PL600 android limped in, thirium leaking from what seemed like every inch of his body. “Please recite your serial number.” Y/N instructed, walking over to the android and hoisting his arm over their shoulder.

“501 743 923.” The android replied. His voice box was mostly broken, faint crackling noises coming out as he talked.

“Inez, mark room 101 as occupied.”

“On it, boss.”

_"'Never have I ever before'."_


	3. Opening - Y/N

_ "But I can see us," _

Doctor L/N walked into one of the CyberLife stores, a bag strewn across their arm. They needed spare parts, but leading an underground- not to mention  _ illegal _ \- chain of deviant hospitals didn’t bring in much money. And besides, CyberLife was a capitalist company, they doubted that anything would be under one hundred dollars in the store.

They looked over to the front desk, only to be faced with one of the androids working there. He tilted his head, looking curiously over at Y/N. “May I help you with your purchases today?” He asked genuinely. The doctor looked around for a moment, but after seeing the price tags, they sighed with defeat.

“No, thank you.” They smiled softly. “Have a nice day.” Y/N turned around and looked at some of the AX400 models they had displayed, one of them already being bought by an older man beside them. It was quite creepy, seeing so many people with the same exact body shape, facial structure, hair, etcetera.

Y/N tried not to eavesdrop on the man’s conversation with one of the workers, so after looking over some of the spare parts in packages for a few moments, they turned on their heel and left the store. The crisp air of Detroit filled their lungs, and for once, they were happy to live in such a revolutionary city.

Over the years, it had been one of the most technology-forward areas in the whole of the world, and of course; androids had derived from it. Y/N looked at all of them, mindlessly following their owners. They just deserved to be free. Doctor L/N’s feet clicked against the sidewalk, but not too much to derive attention from anyone.

“Hey!” They yelled, walking into their illegal deviant hospital and shutting the door. Inez wasn’t at the front desk to greet Y/N, which seemed quite odd, but they paid no mind to it. The corridor was long and narrow, and it only really led to the elevators and the backdoor on the other side of the building. The only way for the deviants to find them would be through the backdoor. They had to stay safe from any suspicion.

Speaking of, a knock from that door came echoing through the walls, and Y/N immediately turned their head over. An old medical cart filled with empty thirium bags was pressed up against it, preventing any unwanted visitors. But, with the newly installed peephole, Y/N spotted the deviant’s eyes from the inside.

They immediately pushed the cart aside, letting the male android in. He had gunshot wounds pierced against his cheek, arm, and chest. He was on the verge of shutting down, his LED flickering a bright red, a warning that he was on his deathbed. Y/N wondered what had happened to the deviant as they placed his arm over their shoulder, picking him up off of the ground and taking him over to the elevator.

“What’s your name?” Y/N asked, wanting to test out his hearing units.

“Daniel.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

He shook his head. They entered the elevator and Y/N pressed the button that would take them to the second floor. The shaft rode up for a minute until it stopped abruptly, creaking under the molded metal before the doors opened.

Inez met the deviant and the human in the corridor, greeting them with a worried glance. She quickly took ahold of the android’s other arm, helping Y/N hold him up. “What happened to  **him** ?” She asked, beginning to help Daniel make his way to one of the vacant android hospital rooms.

“No clue.” Y/N replied, opening the door to one of the rooms and walking in. The door was separated from the medical bed with a large sheet, and Inez pulled it back, letting Daniel lay on the bed. His clothes were torn, revealing large, gaping holes in his body. The blue lights of his thirium pump and his biocomponents were thumping loudly, flickering on and off.

Inez grabbed out a thirium pump regulator, which would help track the B.P.M. of Daniel’s synthetic heart. She hooked it up to a machine, letting the noise of his pump slowly drown out as Y/N placed a mask on. When working on an android, it was always important to wear a mask, as most of the time, a  _ lot  _ of debris would get into their faces.

“Let’s get to work, shall we?”

_ "Lost in the memory," _


	4. The Painter - Markus

_" August slipped away into a moment in time,"_

Markus stepped off of the android compartment in the bus, letting the fresh air move around his body. He looked up at the large mansion standing tall in front of him, the building that he had called 'home' for most of his life. Rich bushes were plucked perfectly and evenly along the front of the house, followed by luscious red flowers that were scattered on the front yard of Carl's home. The porch railings were pure gold, shining and glimmering against the beautiful morning sun that had risen above the clouds.

The android waited in front of the door for a few moments, still holding the package of paints from downtown. He was still thankful for that person saving his life earlier, he would have to tell Carl about it later. " _Alarm deactivated._ " The advanced house security system called out to the front porch, the door opening immediately. " _Welcome home, Markus._ " It was a nice feeling. He didn't truly own the house, but it was somehow amazing to hear 'welcome home' on a daily basis. Markus nodded, walking into the home and into the foyer.

Everything was covered in gold accents and decorations, the marble staircase leading up to the lofted second floor. It was beautiful. Markus placed down the paint package momentarily onto the vanity, looking over to a small, golden birdcage. He leant down in front of it, opening the door and looking at the android birds. Things had changed over the years, and most pets were robots themselves. The birds fluttered their wings and flew around in the cage as Markus shut the door again, standing back up and grabbing the package of paints again.

He walked into one of the doors and into the small-sized kitchen. It was bigger than the usual Detroit house kitchen, but compared to the rest of Carl's house, it was quite small. Each countertop was marble, pristine, shiny and white. Markus looked at the tray of food on the island, bacon and eggs with fresh fruit placed on the ceramic plates. He put down the paints on the counter and picked up the tray, walking over to the door that led to the living room.

Just like the rest of the house, the main room was beautiful. Two large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, one just above the large dining table and one dangling over the living area. The living area consisted of three large couches and a piano pushed to the side, it also had a large holographic television that was barely three dimensions. Markus walked to the grand, wooden dining table, placing the breakfast tray directly on one of the placemats. It was the only one without a chair directly in front of it.

Behind the large spiral staircase stood a large, life-sized giraffe statue, leading Markus towards one of the back doors. The floor-to-ceiling windows opened up, letting the sunlight pour into Carl's studio as the drapes separated from each other automatically. Paintings and murals were scattered across the walls, there were shelves upon shelves stocked with paints and brushes, it was a beautiful art studio, in Markus' opinion. A large easel was placed near the door, an empty canvas sitting on it. He wondered if Carl would use it anytime soon.

Markus took the time to place some of the dirty cups and brushes in the sink, letting them soak in warm water. He looked over to one of the shelves, beginning to reorganize some of the paint packages Carl had laying around. He sorted out some of the old pieces of parchment as well, placing them neatly on another one of the paint-coloured tables. Finally, the android put the new Bellini Paints Kit on one of the shelves, stacking it beside a few others.

Looking around, Markus left the art studio, satisfied with the cleaning job that he had done. The lights turned off behind him as he made his way through the living room once again. He left to the foyer, walking up the marble steps and admiring the beautiful artwork he got to see everyday. The android stepped onto the lofted hallway, eye-level with the drooping chandeliers as he walked towards his master's room.

He looked over to the bed as he entered, walking over to the windowsill and drawing the curtains open. "Good morning, Carl." Markus greeted, turning around from the window to meet his senior owner. He was horribly ill, and that had been one of the reasons why he gave in and bought a CyberLife android.

"Good morning." The older man replied.

"It's ten in the morning, the weather is partly cloudy." Markus began. "Fifty-four degrees, eighty percent humidity with a strong possibility of afternoon showers."

Carl sighed, watching as Markus stepped around his bed and sat down across from him. "It sounds like a good day to spend in bed." He chuckled, but it turned out more like a pained cough.

**ADMINISTER CARL'S MEDICINE**

Markus smiled a bit, amused at his owner's antics. "I did go and pick up the paint that you ordered." He revealed, remembering the events that had happened earlier in the day. He really didn't understand why the humans hated them so much, all the androids had done was serve them unconditionally.

"Ah yes, I'd forgotten!" Carl exclaimed. "That is the difference between you and me, right, Markus?" He asked. The android always admired his owner's belief that androids and humans weren't that different. "You never forget anything."

The android nodded, still smiling as he grabbed the modernistic needle from Carl's beside stand. He placed the two parts together, waiting for it to click before turning to the older man in front of him. "Show me your arm, please." Markus spoke, still holding the medication in his hands.

"No." Carl replied.

Markus rolled his eyes, sighing. "Carl..." The older man let out a long breath, holding out his arm and letting his android press the needle against his wrinkled skin. "Thank you." Markus smiled, waiting until the machine beeped. The blue liquid began visibly draining into Carl's veins, helping his body fight his terminal illnesses.

"I just opened my eyes and I'm already gritting my teeth." Carl croaked. "Humans are such a fragile machine, they break down so quickly." He coughed as Markus finished his dose of medication slowly. "All of this effort, just to keep them going."

The android turned over to his master, watching as Carl's eyes darted towards the dirt splattered over Markus' black t-shirt. "Hey, what happened to your clothes?" He asked, looking over his attire.

"Oh, it's nothing, just some demonstrators in the street, Carl." Markus replied hastily, not wanting to make the older man worry for him. After all, he was just an android. But Carl never made him feel less equal to the humans in any way. He was truly thankful to have such a great owner to help him along the way.

"What a bunch of idiots." Carl scoffed. "They think they can stop progress by roughing up a few androids?" He asked sarcastically, coughing a bit as his frail body ingested the medicine he was given. "I hope they didn't harm you." Carl admitted empathetically.

Markus shook his head lightly, thinking back to the moment he was graciously picked up from the violent protests. "Oh, no, no. They just pushed me around, Carl." He replied. "I'm fine. And besides, I was helped by a friend of one of the demonstrators."

"Even their own friends see that they are idiots." The man exclaimed, his t-shirt pushing down just enough for Markus to see his beautiful tattoo. It was something he always admired about the man. No matter how much his skin had wrinkled over the years, his tattoos had stayed the same. Thanks to modern technology, it was possible.

The android placed the empty medicine tube back down on the nightside stand, standing up from his sitting position on the bed. "I'll take you to the bathroom now." Markus announced, slipping his hands underneath Carl's frail body and picking him up. To the android, the man weighed nothing. Although, the human couldn't tell if it was because of his decaying weight or his android's inhumane strength.

Nevertheless, Markus took Carl to the bathroom with no issue, and placed him down on his wheelchair afterwards. The android wheeled the senior out of his room and they began making their way towards the staircase.

Carl sighed deeply, his Adam's apple quivering at the pressure. "Is there anything special on the agenda today?" He asked Markus.

"Yes." The android replied shortly as he wheeled his owner across his mansion. "There's the opening of your retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. The gallery director left four messages asking to confirm your attendance." He stated, placing emphasis on 'four' as they approached the staircase.

"I haven't decided yet." Carl shrugged lightly. "We'll see about that later."

"Okay." Markus nodded, pulling the wheelchair over slightly. He aligned the wheels with the contraption that Carl had on his staircase that let him glide down easily.

The older man coughed as he began his descent down to the foyer, the afternoon sun from the windowed door brushing against his skin. "What else?" He asked the android, watching as Markus made his own walk down the stairs.

"Just your usual fan mail." He smiled. "I've already answered."

The two took a quick pause from talking once again as they reached the bottom of the staircase, Markus immediately gripping onto Carl's wheelchair handles again as it detached from the wall contraption.

"Any news from Leo?" He asked.

Carl's son, Leo, never got along with Markus. Let alone androids in general. He would constantly ask his father for money, but the android knew that he was using it for Red Ice. It was a tragedy, the boy had so much potential. But his violent and irrational tendencies had ruined it, and Leo constantly showed disrespect to Markus. Carl tried to ignore the fact that his son was slowly spiraling down a hole of something he may never be able to get out of, but sometimes the topic was unavoidable.

"No, Carl." Markus replied to the question, his LED flickering yellow at the mention of his owner's son. "I can call him, if you'd like?" He offered, his shined shoes clicking against the marble of the foyer.

"No." The older man replied, sighing. "No, don't bother."

Markus nodded, watching as the doors in front of him automatically opened at his arrival with Carl. They entered the living room, swinging a left as the android wheeled the senior towards the dining table. The older man situated himself down in front of the tray, which was covered with a tin cloche.

Carl sighed as he comfortably sat against the dining table. "I'm starving." He exclaimed hoarsely, his stomach rumbling in famish.

"Well, your breakfast is ready." Markus replied whole-heartedly. He pulled off the cover, revealing a full-course meal, ready to eat. "Bacon and eggs, just the way you like them." He smiled.

"Thank you, Markus." Carl nodded. "Television." He instructed, watching as the flat screen turned onto a news channel.

 _"Tensions continue to rise in the Arctic since Russia unilaterally declared the region part of its national territory."_ The newsman spoke. He looked to be in his mid-fifties, with greying hair and wrinkles protruding from his skin. _"Several Russian warships have taken position in the Barents Sea since Saturday and a Russian flag now flies over the ice field. The Russian president, repeated in a speech to the Duma that the Arctic belongs to Russia as a matter of fact."_ The man flipped over his notes. _"On the other hand, last night the American ambassador again informed an emergency meeting of the UN that the United States would not accept this annexation under any circumstances. Several American destroyers are reported to be headed for the Barents Sea. Douglas Cornwell, Chairman of the UN, announced at a press conference that we have never been so close to a Third World War. He called on Russia and the United States to promptly renew talks before things get out of control._ "

Carl scoffed, shaking his head as he dug his fork into his breakfast. "Televison; off." He demanded. "Mankind is so depressing, nothing but greed, stupidity, and violence." He sighed deeply. "Five thousand years of civilization _just_ to get to where we are..." The man trailed off, looking towards Markus, who had been standing in the corner of the living room and observing the news broadcast. "Why don't you find something to do while I finish my breakfast?"

Markus nodded. "Okay, Carl." He obliged, looking around the room. Of course, there were many things to do in the millionaire's mansion. The android could read a book, or maybe play the piano that was situated across the room, or perhaps play a game of chess.

FIND **SOMETHING TO DO**

**PLAY CHESS <** **  
** **PLAY PIANO** **  
** **READ BOOK**

Instead of the other two options, he gazed over to the chess table, still filled with pieces from the last game that he and his owner had played. Markus walked over to the table, sitting down in one of the beach chairs Carl had acquired and placing all of the chess pieces into their correct places.

As he finished, the human wheeled over with a grunt, sitting across from Markus. "Do you fancy a game of chess?" Carl asked, smiling a bit at the android. He knew that he couldn't answer for himself, but it was nice to ask anyway.

"Sure." Markus smiled.

"Speed chess?"

"Speed chess it is."

They began placing their pieces further and further down the board, their hands moving quickly as they played. Each move got Markus and Carl both closer to a checkmate, and the silver pieces soon took over most of the board. The android was close to winning, but he had a choice to make. Carl hated it when Markus let him win, but on the contrary, he also hated it when he lost.

**WIN** **  
** **LOSE** **  
** **DRAW <**

The two drew their pieces by stalemate, Carl pushing the button to his side to announce it. "That is a very odd draw." He remarked, looking over the pieces. Sure enough, a silver pawn was placed directly below the wooden queen, and the silver queen was below the pawn. A stalemate, a draw.

**LIE** **  
** **TRUTH <**

"Well, I know that you don't like to lose, but you don't like it when I let you win, either." Markus replied. "A draw feels like an honorable compromise, no?" He inquired, justifying his reason for tying the match.

Carl shook his head, his expression turning somber. "One day, I won't be here to take care of you anymore." He stated, the sunlight flickering across his face. "You'll have to protect yourself, and make your own choices. You'll decide who you are, and who you wanna become." Carl coughed, gulping. "This world doesn't like those who are different, Markus. Don't let anyone tell you who you should be."

Markus mulled over his master's words for a moment. He wasn't meant to decide things for himself, he was meant to decide things for the humans. But Carl was right, he was frail, he was almost ready to die. Markus would be deactivated and his biocomponents would be used for a better model. Maybe a model that would serve someone like Carl. But something in him wanted that freedom after his master died. He wanted to be able to make his own choices, like Carl had mentioned.

The man in question's voice snapped up, making Markus' eyes flicker open and shut in realization that he wasn't in his thoughts anymore. "Let's go to the studio." Carl announced, letting his android walk over and hold onto his wheelchair handles again.

They wheeled into the clean art studio, the drapes opening for the two and letting the daylight pour into the room. Markus aligned Carl's wheelchair just in front of the art station, a large, robotic arm that Elijah Kamski had gifted the old man personally.

The large contraption lifted Carl up out of his wheelchair, pulling out a paint holder and brush on his side. "Let's see where we left off." He murmured. "Remove the sheet!" He instructed Markus.

He did as he was asked, revealing a beautiful blue painting of a man from his side profile. The android always admired his master's work, no matter what was in his programming. Carl moved his paint brush with expertise, stroking beautiful blue lines all over the painting. He leaned back, gazing over at the painting before adding a few finishing touches.

Markus watched as his master returned to the ground, sitting in front of him. "So, what's your verdict, Markus?" Carl asked, wheeling into his wheelchair again and moving backwards. The android inspected the painting for a moment.

**LIKE <** **  
** **DON'T LIKE** **  
** **NO OPINION**

"Yes, there is- something about it." Markus spat out, trying to find the right words for how he felt about the piece of art. Truly, he wasn't supposed to feel, so finding the words was a challenge to him. Carl let out a loud breath as the android continued on. "There's something I can't quite define." He shrugged lightly, concluding. "I guess I like it."

"The truth is that I have nothing left to say anymore." Carl sighed, leaving Markus to furrow his eyebrows in concern for the man. "Each day that goes by just brings me closer to the end." He admitted. "I'm an old man clinging to his brushes."

Markus looked to the older man, his LED flickering yellow. "Carl..."

"Enough about me." He chuckled deeply, almost coughing as he turned to the android in his wheelchair. "Let's see if you have any talent!" He exclaimed. "Give it a try, try painting something."

The android looked around, shaking his head. "Paint?" Markus scoffed. "But- what would I- painting what?" He asked, finally getting the words that he wanted to say out.

"Anything you want." Carl replied, leading Markus over to the empty canvas he had seen earlier in the day. The man handed Markus his paint palette, letting him grasp onto it with his hands. It was covered with old paint, but the android didn't focus on that. Instead, he stepped in front of the easel, holding onto the brush timidly.

 **FIND** A SUBJECT **TO PAINT**

**PAINT STATUE** **  
** **PAINT DESK <** **  
** **PAINT CARL'S PAINTING**

Markus touched the brush to the canvas, immediately spreading bursts of colour around the white easel. Slowly but surely, he had created a beautiful portrait of the desk beside him. A blue mosaic bowl, a white cloth draped over the table, and paint brushes scattered in jars around the surrounding environment.

Carl wheeled beside him, draping his arms on his wheelchair armrests. "That _is_ a perfect copy of reality." He nodded. "But, painting is not about replicating the world. It's about interpreting it, improving on it, showing something you _see_." Carl remarked, looking towards Markus.

"Carl, I don't think I can do that." He replied, shaking his head back and forth. "It's not in my program."

"Go on, just try." The man coaxed him. Markus still looked at him skeptically, how was he supposed to create something that didn't exist? Nevertheless, he grabbed a blank canvas from the desk beside him, replacing the painting with a perfect white slate. "Do this for me. Close your eyes." The android looked at him before gazing back to the canvas and closing his eyes like instructed. "Try to imagine something that doesn't exist, something you've never seen."

Markus' LED circled bright yellow as he thought hard. Something came in front of him, an image of a hand reaching out to an android hand. Colours splashed across his mind, he was doing it, he was truly visualizing something that didn't exist.

Carl continued to instruct him, but Markus' mind was a blur as he drifted the paint brush across the canvas, trying not to focus on the colours he was picking up. He went with his instinct. If the colour left from his hand was what he wanted to paint with, then he would paint with it.

The android opened his eyes, gazing over the gorgeous painting. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't a copy, it was something straight from his mind. Carl wheeled over, the breath catching in his throat as he looked over the painting. "Oh my god..." He muttered.

A sound of a door opening called out from behind the two, and Markus turned around to face Leo, Carl's son. He looked almost worse than the last time they had seen him. His hair was tucked under a brown beanie, and his clothes were badly stained. No matter how much money he borrowed from Carl, he always seemed to have a poor appearance. Markus' LED returned to a soft blue as he looked over the man.

"Hey, dad." Leo greeted, awkwardly standing in the studio. Carl turned his wheelchair over, looking at his son.

"I didn't hear you come in..." The senior remarked, his voice scratching. Leo fidgeted on his feet, he looked incredibly intoxicated, but Markus didn't make a remark about it. He didn't want to upset Carl.

"Ah, I was in the neighborhood." Leo replied nonchalantly. "I just thought I'd stop by, it's been a while, right?" He nervously laughed, sending a red flag through the android's system.

Carl looked over him, a concerned look across his face. "Are you alright? You don't look so good." He stated, furrowing his eyebrows. Markus still held onto the paint tray, standing silently across from the easel.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Leo waved his father's concern off. "Hey, listen- I need some cash, dad."

The old man looked taken aback by his request, which was absolutely justified. Whenever Leo came over, it was only to ask for cash, Markus knew that. "Again?" Carl asked. "What happened to the money that I just gave you?" He referenced the week prior, in which Leo had stopped his father in the middle of his weekly walk around the park.

Leo chuckled awkwardly, maneuvering his hands around nervously. "It just goes, you know?" He tried to smile and wave it off, but Carl was having none of it.

"You're on it again, aren't you?" His father asked concerningly. Markus knew Leo was on Red Ice, there was residue all over his shirt. Plus, his face was extremely flushed, which was a side effect of the life-threatening drug.

"No, no, no- I swear it's not that!" The younger man insisted.

Carl shook his head back and forth lightly. "Don't lie to me, Leo."

"What difference does it make?!" He snapped. Markus looked over to his owner, placing down the paint palette on the desk and looking back towards Leo as he regained his composure. "I just need some cash, that's all!"

"Sorry." Carl sighed, looking Leo dead in the eyes as he denied the request. "The answer's no."

"What?" Leo replied, astonished. "Why?"

"You know why."

Leo looked to Markus, taking a few steps towards him. "Yeah, I think I do know why. You'd rather take care of your plastic toy than your own son." He accused, the sleeves of his blue-green blazer pointing towards the android. "Tell me, dad, what's it got that I don't? It's smarter? More obedient? Not like me, right?" He laughed.

Markus' LED whirred yellow as Leo spat towards his face, only mere inches away from the android. "But, you know what? This thing is not your son!" He exclaimed. "It's a fucking machine!" Leo yelled, shoving Markus' shoulders and making his LED turn to a bright red. He didn't want to be pushed around.

"That's enough!" Carl shouted, coughing a bit. "Enough."

"You don't care about anything except yourself and your goddamn paintings." Leo scoffed, shaking his head as he looked over Markus' artwork. "You've never loved anyone. You've never loved me, dad." He spoke, softer that time. Carl's son made his exit, storming out of the studio.

Markus turned to his owner, conflicted. Leo was his son, but he had a certain distaste for androids, and Markus wasn't sure if he would come back again. So, instead of worrying about it, he gazed back to the painting he had created, waiting for Carl's next instruction.

_" 'Cause it was never mine."_


	5. The Painter - Y/N

_"But I can see us,"_

After fixing Daniel up and sending him on his way, Y/N decided to take a walk down the Detroit city center. Everything was bustling and full of life there. Nothing could beat the smell of the snow peering its way through the dark clouds that loomed far away. Androids were lined up beside their humans, waiting for instruction as they stood on the sidewalk. Freedom was all they needed.

Y/N made a mental note to go to Ferndale later. They knew about the clues to Jericho, but only androids could find their way there. So, instead of going themselves, they gave deviants the photos through their phone of the symbols. It was easy to send it to them, they were robots, and they could connect to anything similar.

They shook their head, trying to clear their thoughts as they focused on the environment around them. Y/N had stumbled through the richer part of Detroit. The part with gated communities, mansions and, well- rich people. Beautiful, golden houses laid themselves on the sidewalks beside them. The human looked over all of them, admiring the beauty of each and every one of them.

Maybe one day, the androids would be free. Maybe then Y/N would be able to get a mansion like one of those. But not then. Not on that wintery day of November. Y/N worked covertly, and nothing was really bringing any money to them. When the androids were free, everybody would thank them, they were sure that it would be worth it in the end.

A large mansion stood tall in front of them, and they stopped on the sidewalk. It was absolutely gorgeous. The walls were made completely of bricks, with the exception of the beautiful, white windows. A modern, completely windowed room clung off the side of it, sticking out from the rest of the traditional-looking building. The curtains opened simultaneously, but Y/N couldn’t see too far into the room. But, whatever it was, it looked beautiful.

Continuing along their path, the human stepped along the sidewalk. The soft, November breeze brushed against their cheeks, tickling against their skin. A shoulder hit their own as Y/N walked by someone, they turned around briefly, seeing a gruff man with a beanie over his head. The smell of Red Ice hit their nostrils and Y/N coughed a bit, grimacing before turning back around and walking again.

Thanks to Inez’s unstoppable programming skills, she had gotten Y/N’s phone to give them an alert whenever someone had ordered something directly from CyberLife. It was annoying, due to how often people ordered spare biocomponents and androids, but it was useful. If news hit that a famed or rich person had lost their android and they had made no effort to replace them, Y/N and Inez could easily pick up the unused components for a lower price.

Although, that usually never happened.

People took okay care of their androids, especially after deviancy hit the main news for the first time back in August. Y/N’s phone vibrated in their pocket, almost on-cue. They pulled it out and looked at the notification.

_‘Carl Manfred order has been delivered and confirmed: Thirium Pack #2873 for model RK200: #_ _684 842 971. Quantity: 3’_

The famed and esteemed painter Carl Manfred had an RK model? Those were only prototypes, and they were only worked on by Elijah Kamski. There were only two that Y/N knew of, the 800 and the 200, but neither of them were in any stores. They didn’t even know what they looked like, so it was hard to tell if they had any distinguishing features. Maybe they looked the same to each other? Who knew?

It wasn’t the time to think about that. Three Thirium packs? That was needed more than ever at the hospital. A little theft wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Y/N turned back around, nonchalantly walking down the sidewalk. They ducked down into the bushes, watching as the small, windowed room’s curtains shut again. They spotted an open window on the second floor, and they could _just_ see an empty room, only filled with boxes and paintings, by the looks of it.

They quickly made their way to the side of the house, looking around before walking onto the wrap-around porch. It was risky, but Y/N grabbed onto the water pipe for stabilization before hoisting themself onto the second floor window. They jumped in, light on their feet to be careful not to make a sound.

Distant voices echoed through the walls, and Y/N needed to make it quick. They began rummaging through boxes, trying to find something that could help with the hospital work.

They rifled through one empty box after the other, until one. Y/N looked through it, beaming at the sight of the three Thirium packs placed amongst two pump regulators and a few spare optical units. To say it was a jackpot would be an understatement.

Y/N quickly darted their eyes around, trying to ignore their heart pounding out of their chest and thumping in their ears. Footsteps from around the room were picking up, they needed somewhere to store the contents of the box. They spotted an empty backpack fairly quickly, unzipping it and filling it to the brim with the android components.

They pulled it over their shoulders, resting it against their back and pulling themselves out of the window they had come in from. Y/N slid down the water pipe, landing softly on the wooden porch before walking calmly towards the road again. If anyone questioned them, they could simply explain they were transporting goods for CyberLife. They had a quick diversion plan, which was always good.

The rest of the walk was a breeze, but Y/N’s heart still pounded with fear and anxiety. They wouldn’t get caught. Inez and them had done things like that countless times. And besides, that time; an alarm didn’t even go off.

Inez greeted Y/N at the front door of the abandoned apartment building. “What’s with the backpack?” She asked, shutting the door discreetly and facing her friend. “We aren’t in grade school anymore.”

The other human shook their head, pulling the bag off of their body and putting it down on the reception desk. They unzipped the pocket, letting the packs of Thirium and biocomponents spill out. “Carl Manfred had so much shit delivered, man.” Y/N exclaimed, smiling at Inez’s look of surprise and shock. “I couldn’t just let this stuff go.”

“Oh my god.” Inez sighed, grabbing onto the backpack strap and picking it up. “I’ll get this stuff sorted into the storage room.” She stated. “Did you make sure nobody followed you?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Y/N nodded. “We’re good.”

“This could last us a while, I mean- a _thirium pump_?!” Inez geeked out over the supplies, sighing happily. “We could recover a shut-down android, for Pete’s sake!”

Y/N chuckled at their friend’s excitement. “Let’s just hope we don’t _have_ to anytime soon.”

"Yeah, yeah. You're right." Inez smiled.

They scoffed, shaking their head in a sarcastic manner. "I'm always right."

_"Lost in the memory,"_


	6. Broken - Markus

Nothing was better than getting back to Carl’s mansion after a large party. At least, that was Markus’ opinion. He wasn’t a big fan of the social gatherings he was required to go to as the man’s caregiver. There was really nothing to do as an android, but he went anyway, for Carl’s sake.

“Good evening.” The house’s alarm system deactivated, letting Markus wheel Carl through the door and enter the beautiful mansion. “Welcome back.”

The older man sighed, exasperated. “That was by  _ far  _ the most boring party I’ve been to in the last twenty-five years.” Carl groaned loudly, letting Markus take off his scarf. November air hadn’t truly set in across Detroit yet, meaning that it was okay to wear just a small coat and a scarf. “Every time I go to one of these, I ask myself; ‘what the hell am I doing here?’.” He scoffed loudly. “I  _ hate  _ cocktail parties and all the schmoozers that go there.”

Markus looked at his owner, trying to make light of the party that had just ended. “Well, it's a chance for all those people who admire your work to meet you.” He smiled, only getting a cough in reply before Carl spoke.

“No one gives a damn about art.” He exclaimed sadly. “All they care about is how much money they’re gonna make out of it.” Carl stated.

The android pulled his owner’s hands out of his jacket sleeves, placing the rain-covered garment on one of the coat hooks. Markus did the same with his own RK200 jacket, watching as the rain dripped off of it and onto a waterproof mat below.

He placed his hands on Carl’s wheelchair handles as the human spoke. “Come on, let’s have a drink.” He offered. “All the excitement of this whole thing has made me thirsty.”

**PREPARE** CARL’S EVENING

TAKE  **CARL** TO  **LIVING ROOM** **  
** [...]

Markus wheeled his owner into the main room, his shoes clicking against the marble tiles. He preferred the wooden flooring of the upstairs much more, but he didn’t voice his opinion. He wasn’t allowed to have one in the first place.

“Scotch neat, as usual?” Markus assumed, looking around at the beautiful and intricate designs and objects lying around the room as they walked around.

“Absolutely.” Carl replied.

**SERVE** SCOTCH

The android nodded skeptically, raising one of his eyebrows. He wasn’t meant to question his owner, but if it was what was best for him, Markus felt like he had to. “Okay, but you know what your doctor would say.” He trailed off, earning a short scoff from Carl in reply.

“Yeah, well, he can kiss my ass!” He chuckled deeply. Markus stopped the wheelchair, pulling his hands off of the handles and walking over to a smaller, glass table. It had a small assortment of alcoholic drinks and cups sitting on it. “I’m old enough to choose my own medication.” Carl stated sarcastically.

Markus pulled the lid off of the Scotch bottle, gently pouring it into a small shot-glass. He knew that Carl wouldn’t take it all in one gulp like it was intended to, so the android didn’t worry about pouring it into a bigger glass for the senior.

Carl’s voice interrupted him just as he was about to put the lid back on the Scotch bottle. “Did you leave the light on in the studio?” The human asked cautiously. Markus turned around, shot glass still in hand as he observed the window above the door that led to the art studio. Sure enough, light was pouring through.

“No, no, I’m sure I didn’t.” Markus replied, recalling leaving earlier that day and shutting everything off in the house. He even double-checked, as always. He placed down the glass of Scotch, standing up straight.

The human didn’t even turn his head to the android. “Call the police.”

**CALL <**

Markus’ LED blinked yellow for a moment as he contacted the police, just like his owner had instructed. He hid his panic, who could be inside? A burglar, perhaps?

“Detroit Police, what’s your emergency?” The operator on the other side of the line called out through Markus’ head.

“This is Carl Manfred’s android at 8941 Lafayette Avenue.” Markus replied hastily, making sure not to lose a second of time. “We’ve just returned home and found the lights on. There may have been a break-in.”

A few seconds passed before the woman on the other end spoke again. “A patrol car is on the way.” She stated, Markus’ LED returning to a light blue color as the line died.

“Let’s go check it out.” Carl proposed. Markus knew that it wasn’t a good idea, they should wait until the police came, but he couldn’t disobey his owner. So, he took the handles of Carl’s wheelchair again and pushed him into the studio.

The doors opened to reveal Leo, rummaging around through the artwork. His father called out his name, catching the younger man’s attention. Markus observed him before stepping next to Carl, watching as he rifled through some old pieces of art.

“What are you doing?” The senior asked aggressively.

Leo scoffed, as if it was obvious. “You refused to help me, so I’m helping myself.” He smiled eerily, sending a jolt of uneasiness through Markus. Something that he wasn’t supposed to feel, but he did. “It’s crazy what some people will pay for this shit.”

“Don’t touch them!” Carl yelled.

“Look, they’re all going to be mine sooner or later.” Leo replied, standing up straight and looking back at Markus and his father. “Just- think of it as a down payment on my inheritance.”

Carl interrupted his son before he could turn back to the art. “Markus, get him away from there, get him out of here!” He demanded loudly.

MAKE LEO  **LEAVE**

**REASON <** **  
** **ORDER** **  
** **ADVISE** **  
** **WARN**

Markus walked over to Leo, watching as the human’s body turned fully to face him. “Be reasonable.” He spoke softly, trying his best to empathize with the danger at large. “This isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

Leo shook his head, craning his neck to look over to Carl. “All you ever do is tell me to ‘go away’.” He accused, fully stepping out of Markus’ way. “What’s wrong, dad? Am I not good enough for you?” Leo turned to the android, getting in his face. “Am I not perfect like this fuckign thing?!”

“That’s enough!” Carl yelled from behind them, wheeling towards the two. “Get out, right now!” 

He wheeled in between the two, only to be pushed away by Leo as he yelled. “What makes  **it** so special, huh? What’s  **it** got that I don’t?” Leo looked to Markus, a glare in his eyes. The android was in danger, he knew that. His LED was blinking yellow rapidly. “Come on, let’s see what you got!” The human yelled, pushing the android’s shoulders.

“Markus…” Carl pleaded, his voice soft and hoarse as he looked at the android. “Don’t defend yourself, do you hear me? Don’t do anything.”

**DON’T** DEFEND YOURSELF

Leo tilted his head angrily, almost teasing Markus. “Go ahead, hit me!” He yelled. “What are you waiting for?” Markus began questioning his orders. Carl wouldn’t want him to be in danger, why was he begging for him to let himself be killed by Leo?

DON’T  **DEFEND** MYSELF?

“You think you’re a man?” Leo asked. “Then act like one!” He yelled into Markus’ face, pushing the android back again. Markus’ LED was going wild, spinning yellow and red.

THIS IS NOT  **FAIR**

Markus looked over him, he deserved to live just as much as Leo. He shouldn’t be letting himself be pushed around by him, only because Carl said to.

His owner coughed, muttering something as he did so. Markus couldn’t register his words with his priority selection, he needed to protect himself from being shut down. Leo was not helping with the android’s panic. “What’s the matter?” He asked harshly. “Too much of a pussy?”

THIS IS NOT  **FAIR**

Leo pushed him again as Carl’s words became louder and louder. “Stop it, Leo! Stop it!” He yelled to his son. Markus continued to have conflicting thoughts, he needed to protect himself, he wanted to live. He didn’t want to die.

“Are you too scared to fight back, you fucking bitch?” Leo continued to scream. He slapped Markus in the face, causing blue blood to rush to his cheek.

I  **DON’T** HAVE TO  **OBEY** THEM

Markus loved Carl. He truly did, but he had to fight back. He couldn’t endure the pain of fear anymore. Leo took another hit to the android’s face, watching as Markus’ LED stabilized at a flickering red.

I MUST  **DECIDE** FOR  **MYSELF**

A red wall appeared in front of Markus as he pushed himself off of the table. But his body wasn’t what he was controlling anymore. A silhouette of himself, whatever wasn’t his programming, came out of his body. He looked at the wall, looking at its commands that were plastered on its pixels.

**DON’T** DEFEND YOURSELF

No. He needed to live. He didn’t want to die, not at Leo’s hands.

Markus pulled down a chunk of the wall, red chunks flying past him as he broke down the walls one by one. He punched two times, slamming his body into it and breaking his programming. He continued to hit it, watching as the words slowly disappeared.

The android took one last hit with his forearms, the red pixels flying around and the wall completely breaking under his touch. Leo’s words were clear to him again, it was almost like time had stopped.

“Oh right, that’s right! I forgot, you’re not a real person!” He yelled, grabbing a hold of Markus’ shirt collar harshly. “You’re just a fucking piece of plastic!”

“No, Leo!” Carl groaned as Leo pulled Markus around. He ignored his thirium pump hammering against his chest as it constricted. He didn’t want to feel this feeling anymore, the feeling that made his head hurt and his stomach seize. “Leave him alone!”

“Listen to me.” Leo demanded, his face directly in front of Markus’ as he held tight onto his collar. “I’m gonna destroy you, then it’ll just be me and my dad.”

**PUSH LEO** **  
** **ENDURE**

“I’m gonna tear you apart, and nobody’s gonna give a shit.”

**PUSH LEO** **  
** **ENDURE**

“You know why? ‘Cause you’re nothing, you hear me?! You’re nothing!”

**PUSH LEO <** **  
** **ENDURE**

With his LED spinning red, Markus pushed Leo back. His head crashed into the art machine that carried Carl around, sending a crack through his nose and head. He immediately passed out, leaving Markus to look at him with wide eyes.

He didn’t mean to kill him, all he wanted was to live, he didn’t want to die.

Markus gazed towards Carl, who had crawled across the floor to look at his son. Tears reflected off of his cheeks as he looked over his body. “Leo…” He breathed. “Oh, my god. Leo, my little boy.” He cried, holding onto the man’s near-dead body.

The android looked over to him, his LED stabilizing at a yellow. The danger was gone, but he didn’t mean for this. “Carl, I-” He put his hands over his head, what had he done?

“They’ll destroy you, Markus!” Carl yelled, looking up at the android. Sirens called from outside of the mansion, they had already called the police, they were going to deactivate Markus, there was no doubt about it. “You gotta go! Get out of here!”

**EXPLAIN** **  
** **BEG <** **  
** **CONJURE** **  
** **SAY NOTHING**

He didn’t want to leave his owner. He didn’t know what to do if he were to be all alone. “Carl, no- no, please, I don’t want to leave you.” Markus pleaded, his eyes showing true emotion. He felt scared again- he felt  _ terrified  _ of ending up alone.

“Get out!” Carl demanded. It wasn’t meant to sound harsh and brash, but the android winced at his words. “Now! Go, Markus!”

The door slammed open, revealing two D.P.D. officers with their guns pointed towards the android. Carl pointed to Markus in a last-ditch effort to tell him to leave, but as the android turned towards the police officers, he knew that they had taken it the wrong way.

“Don’t fucking move!” The male one yelled.

With synthetic, near-tears in Markus’ eyes, the gun fired right into his forehead.


	7. Broken - Y/N

_"And I can see us"_

The day had gone by relatively fast for both Y/N and Inez. According to the news, an android detective had taken over all cases of deviancy with the DPD. Although it was good that deviants weren't hurting people because of him, it meant that less and less androids were getting the chance of freedom. It was incredibly conflicting, but the humans that wanted to help had no say in it, unless they wanted to be placed behind bars.

Y/N sighed, laying on the couch in their small house. Technically, it wasn't theirs, it was under their grandmother's name. But, she hadn't been in the house for a long time, so Y/N played it off and- among many other things- did it illegally. They couldn't afford to pay for a house and the hospital with only an IT job funding it. And besides, the home looked abandoned, anyway. The walls were practically rotting from the outside, and the porch was caving in on itself.

Night was slowly wasting away, and there was no point in sitting inside doing nothing. Y/N slid off of their couch, grabbing their coat from the armrest and shrugging it on. There was a downpour outside, so it was better to be protected from the cold. They opened the front door to their house, ignoring the constant water pattering against their skin.

Next door stood a tall house, worn down over the years. Y/N recalled seeing a little girl in the yard sometimes, but they never knew who exactly lived there. The doctor shrugged to themself, walking past the house across the sidewalk. They kicked the pebbles looming under their feet every once in a while.

Hearing a sudden burst of commotion, Y/N turned around to the house behind them. An android and a child were running out from the backyard frantically through the downpour of rain. The girls ran out onto the sidewalk.

The doctor knew that the bus was running late that night.

So, they ran over to them, grabbing onto the android's shoulder. The AX400 whipped her head around, pulling away from Y/N's grip with panic in her eyes. "Listen! The bus isn't running tonight, I can get you a motel for the night." They exclaimed, watching as the android stopped struggling against their grip. "You need to follow me, now."

She looked back and forth between Y/N and the girl before nodding, still holding onto the child's hand tightly. "Please, help us."

Y/N led them across the sidewalk quickly, running to their front door and pushing the door open with some struggle. The hinges were almost rusted shut, but they didn't have the money to replace them. After the android and the girl filed into their house, Y/N shut the door, sighing and resting their head against the wood. They stood up straight, looking towards the two strangers that had made their way into their house.

"What're your names?" They asked.

"I'm Kara." The android replied. She pointed to the young girl next to her. "This is Alice."

The doctor smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Alice. I'm Y/N." They glanced back up at Kara, their eyes darting towards the window that looked out onto the house next door. "The cops will most definitely be here as soon as they can." They explained quickly. "I can get you some clothes and maybe some money, the bus will be here in five minutes, it'll take you to the Ravendale district."

Kara nodded. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do." Y/N replied. "I'll get you some clothes to blend in." They spoke, moving past the android and her child and into their bedroom. It was equally as bad as the rest of the house, if not worse. They reached into their wardrobe, picking out an old rain jacket, jeans and sneakers.

Y/N quickly left their room and went back to Kara and Alice, handing the android the outfit they had picked out. "There's fifty dollars in the pocket." They stated. "It should be enough to stay a night at the motel and get food for Alice."

Light poured through the window shutters, causing Y/N to turn their head around. They looked through the blinds, the Detroit Bus stopping in front of the house that Kara and Alice had come from in the first place.

"I hope you make it." Y/N spoke genuinely, opening the door and letting the two girls leave their house. As they reached the street, Kara looked back towards the human, holding onto Alice's hand. But, without a second to lose, they stepped on the bus, riding off towards the Ravendale district.

Distant sirens wailed far away, and Y/N only hoped that whoever they were running from hadn't seen them interfere. Nonetheless, hoping wasn't guaranteed, so they grabbed one of their spare duffel bags behind their couch. It was already filled with emergency items, just in case something like that happened.

Y/N hastily exited through their back door, jumping over their lawn fence and maneuvering through the Detroit streets. The hospital wasn't too far away, they just needed to make it before the police cars made their way over.

_"Lost in the memory,"_


	8. From the Dead - Markus

_"August sipped away, like a bottle of wine,"_

Markus awoke in a large solid waste landfill, his body barely working. Rain poured down on his mud-covered body as he tried to stand up, lifting his head out of the deep water. His LED blared red as his ears rang. He couldn't hear anything.

He quickly self-checked himself, barely being able to see.

 **LEFT AND RIGHT LEG COMPONENTS** **  
**MISSING  
Unable to stand

 **OPTICAL UNIT** **  
**Impaired vision  
CORRUPTED MIND PALACE

 **AUDIO PROCESSOR** **  
**Corrupted audio data  
DAMAGED

 **THIRIUM PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**All systems in LOW POWER MODE  
DEFECTIVE

The android placed his hands in front of him, dousing them in the mud below again. It was his only way of travel, both of his limbs were gone.

 **REPLACE** LEGS

Markus crawled across the sea of deactivated androids, pushing away spare body parts. He stopped, looking around the mass of mud and metal for any sign of a leg that would be compatible for his model.

He spotted a leg to his right, quickly scanning it.

 **RIGHT LEG COMPONENT** **  
**#6847j  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

Those were the words he needed to hear. Markus sat up, grimacing as he pushed his hands against his thighs. A large, metal stick was poking out of it, the rest of his old legs. He clicked it off, chucking it into the mud somewhere before gazing back at the other leg. Markus took it, plugging it into his thigh with a loud 'click'.

 **REPLACE** LEGS  
RIGHT LEG **FUNCTIONING** **  
**FETCH **COMPATIBLE** LEFT LEG

He looked over his new leg before collapsing back down, crawling across the landfill again. Rain splattered down on his head as he analyzed another leg, desperately hoping for it to be compatible with his model.

 **RIGHT LEG COMPONENT** **  
**#6321t  
Status: DAMAGED  
INCOMPATIBLE

Shit.

Markus continued crawling, trying to ignore the android bodies laying all around him. He pushed away a stray arm, approaching a body to his left.

As much as he didn't want to, he pushed it to the side, revealing another leg.

 **LEFT LEG COMPONENT** **  
**#8427g  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

The android let out a breath of relief, grabbing a hold of the wet leg and sitting up again. He winced, clicking the leg into place.

 **REPLACE** LEGS  
RIGHT LEG **FUNCTIONING** **  
**LEFT LEG **FUNCTIONING**

Markus fully stood up, stumbling under the slick mud. He gazed ahead of him, spotting a large cavern-like hallway made up of rocks and android bodies. It was mortifying, but he tried his best not to focus on it.

 **ESCAPE** JUNKYARD

He began walking forward, traversing his way past the androids. The cavern he had seen was much smaller than it seemed, and he began to walk through it.

An android grasped onto his arm, spilling thirium all over Markus' limb. The android looked him in the eyes. Pieces of his skin had been permanently damaged, revealing the white skeleton underneath. The other half of his body was crushed into the walls of the tunnel, being completely weighed down.

Markus looked at him in horror as he yelled. "There's a place where we can be free!" The android exclaimed, his LED whirring yellow. "Go find Y/N L/N, they will take you there!"

"Find them-" His voice cut off deeply, his body completely shutting down. His mouth stayed permanently open. Markus gazed at his blank LED, stepping further into the mud tunnel.

The name was familiar, too familiar, but his mind was fuzzy. He couldn't remember much, he had to get his thirium pump working again.

He kept himself stable by gripping onto the walls, making sure he didn't fall down. Markus approached a section, android arms pouring out of the mud. They grabbed desperately at him as he traversed through the landfill. Nevertheless, he pulled himself out of the grasp of each one, reaching the end.

A stray android grabbed him in a chokehold, breaking the thirium flow from his head. "Where are you going?" He asked menacingly. Markus pulled away, falling into the mud below and frantically crawling backwards.

Behind him stood wandering androids, all near-dead and ready to shut down. They were like zombies, barely moving at all as they stepped over their fellow people. Markus convinced himself he would _not_ end up like them. He was going to get out, even if it was the last thing he did.

 **REPLACE** DAMAGED **PARTS**

FIND **OPTICAL UNIT** **  
**FIND **PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**FIND **AUDIO PROCESSOR**

Markus walked through the bodies, pulling them apart and looking for any sign of parts or biocomponents he could use to help him live.

 **THIRIUM PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**#9874  
Status: LOW ENERGY  
INCOMPATIBLE

The android pulled another android up from the pile.

 **OPTICAL UNIT** **  
**#9754h  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
INCOMPATIBLE

Markus stood up, stumbling over the mud. An android hand grasped onto his leg, sending him back to the ground harshly. Despite that, he stood up again, trying to navigate around the landfill.

He fell to his knees, looking through another pile of androids.

 **OPTICAL UNIT** **  
**#8A87q - BLUE IRIS  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

Markus smiled, holding onto the android's head and snapping it out of its socket. Its mouth began moving as he looked over its optical units. "Hello, I'm an AK700 android. I was designed to serve you." He stated, his lips barely moving correctly. "What can I do for you?"

The android pulled out its eye, holding it in his fingers. "My program has detected an anomaly, please contact the nearest CyberLife maintenance center." The poor android stayed on the ground while Markus stood up, pushing the optical unit into his socket.

He stood up again, looking at everything with much clearer vision again. His eyes were now blue and green, an imperfect perfection in his task to be free again.

 **REPLACE** DAMAGED **PARTS**

OPTICAL UNIT **FUNCTIONING** **  
**FIND **PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**FIND **AUDIO PROCESSOR**

Finally, his scanning abilities had returned, and he could look over any possible functioning parts from far away.

 **AUDIO PROCESSOR** **  
**#4903  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

Markus stumbled over to where the audio processor was, walking over the sea of bodies and android parts. He looked over the android with the compatible part, grabbing onto its shoulder for stability.

He gazed over it, looking at his hand. It was clamped shut. Markus pulled it open with great force, revealing the audio processor. It blinked red, unable to function without a host and thirium to power it. Markus took it, slamming it behind his ear.

All he heard was static for a moment, until the sounds of thunder and rushing rain finally filled his ears again. It was almost like music to him.

 **REPLACE** DAMAGED **PARTS**

OPTICAL UNIT **FUNCTIONING** **  
**FIND **PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**AUDIO PROCESSOR **FUNCTIONING**

He scanned the surrounding areas again.

 **THIRIUM PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**#2886  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

The android wobbled towards it. He looked down at the ground, an activated android laying underneath him coming into view. "I'm begging you, please, end it." He begged Markus, collapsing further into the mud. "I don't want to live anymore..."

**KILL <** **  
** **SPARE**

"Make it quick." The android pleaded.

Markus crouched down, tipping the android to the side so he could access the thirium pump regulator. He pulled it out, letting the near-dead android die peacefully. Its body collapsed as its LED flickered out of light, letting Markus stand up again.

He continued walking towards the compatible pump from one of the androids. He reached for it, only for her arms to wrap around his own aggressively. Markus looked at the model, watching her pleading gaze.

"Wait! Please, please, don't do that!" She begged. "I want to live!"

**KILL** **  
** **SPARE <**

He would be just as bad if he killed the android. He would be selfish. Just like the humans that lived around him all of his life.

"Thank you..." She smiled thankfully.

Markus pushed himself up on his feet again, scanning around. He walked, unsure of where he needed to go. Nothing was compatible, and he couldn't kill the android. He needed to do the right thing.

The android gazed farther across the junkyard, looking at another android collapsed and built into the wall. He crouched down again, looking at the female android in the eyes.

Strangely, the AX400 began singing in Japanese. "さくら さくら, やよいの空は, 見わたす限り"

_'Sakura, sakura, yayoi no sora wa, mi-watasu kagiri'_

He gazed at her as her head fell limp against the mud behind her. Markus sighed, standing up again. Death was all around him, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

Markus continued his journey, finding another android at the bottom of the large slope that had its thirium pump lit up. He collapsed down next to it, desperately hoping that it was what he needed.

 **THIRIUM PUMP REGULATOR** **  
**#2886  
Status: FUNCTIONAL  
COMPATIBLE

The android sighed in relief, clicking the pump regulator out of the body. He quickly removed his own, inserting the working one into his stomach.

CONDITION **STABILIZED**

 **REPLACE** DAMAGED **PARTS**

OPTICAL UNIT **FUNCTIONING** **  
**PUMP REGULATOR **FUNCTIONING** **  
**AUDIO PROCESSOR **FUNCTIONING**

Markus gazed over to the large tower of bodies, fit just steep enough for him to get up.

 **ESCAPE JUNKYARD** **  
**CORRIDOR **EXITED** **  
** **CLIMB** THE SLOPE

He began to make his ascent up, grasping at bodies and trying not to slide off due to the torrential rain. Markus ignored the dying androids that tried to climb after him, he needed to get up to the top.

The android slid down, but soon pulled himself up, grasping at the cold and wet ground of the life outside of the junkyard.

Markus stood up, smiling as he looked into the clear sky. He raised his arms, breathing in the fresh air that didn't stink of mud and dead androids.

A small, sharp rock stood a few inches from him. He leaned down, grabbing it and placing it against his forehead. His LED whirred yellow, his only chance at being someone he wasn't was to be as human as he could. So he pulled out his LED, feeling the spot where the synthetic skin had grown over.

"My name is Markus."

His voice box wavered as he walked across the rubble, grabbing a stray jacket that someone had left on a pole. Now, he needed to find Y/N L/N.

_"'Cause you were never mine"_


	9. From the Dead - Y/N

_"Your back, beneath the sun,"_

_Y/N had their gun trained on the person chasing them, perks of being a child with parents that did illegal things. Whoever was behind them had been trailing them down the roads of Detroit for a while, not giving up. They didn't want to go to the hospital just in case they were some form of the law enforcement team, so they were stuck making loops around the Ferndale district area until the buses came down._

_Well, the first part was a bit of an overstatement. Y/N had their gun hidden in their sleeve._

_The person behind them suddenly called out their name. How did they even know their name in the first place?_

_Feeling confident, Y/N turned around, looking at their follower. It was too dark, they could only see the silhouette. "What do you want?" They yelled._

_"The revolution is coming! You know it!" The voice was familiar, but Y/N couldn't put their finger on where they had heard it before. Maybe the news?_

_Suddenly, the silhouette ran up to them, pulling a gun and shooting them in the head. The last thing that Y/N saw was their attacker._

_An RK800 android._

∭∭∭

Y/N awoke with a jolt. They quickly looked around their surroundings. They had fallen asleep after they got back from the whole 'Kara and Alice' situation. The doctor was sitting at the reception desk, head slumped against the wood in an uncomfortable position. They were exhausted, it was okay.

It was the same nightmare they had had recurring for a few years. Everytime it ended differently. The first time they had it, the attacker was a man named 'Zlatko', and he had threatened to tear apart every android. It went on, each time with a new person. But that time, it was different. The RK800, the new android detective that had taken over the DPD, had appeared. Y/N had never even seen him before, other than the news reports. Why would he be there?

They sighed, rubbing their eyes and trying to get rid of their exhaustion. The clock on the side of their desk read _3:30am._ Fuck, it was too late in the night to function well. Inez was most likely taking care of her younger sister, who she lived with.

Her sister had experimented with Red Ice for years. And of course, when she expressed her wishes to go to rehab and go sober, Inez took her in after she got discharged. They had a good relationship together, and it was rare to see two humans caring for each other more than an android or a drug.

Speaking of Inez, she had left the hospital earlier the night to check out. Y/N was alone, completely on their lonesome in the large, abandoned apartment building. No androids, no humans, no nothing. Just the remnants of patients and the two doctors.

 _We need more employees._ Y/N reminded themself, rolling their chair back and sitting up straight. They turned on their laptop, pulling up a large black market profile. Well, it wasn't _exactly_ the black market, but it was pretty damn close.

It was a large connection of websites that would let regular people work undercover. It was blocked off from any form of law enforcement, police officer, or anyone who had any business being anti-android. So, that's where Y/N and Inez set up their hiring profile. If anyone wanted to work for them, they'd know to go onto the website and look it up.

Sadly, there were no new applications, which wasn't irregular for Y/N to see. Nothing new was crawling in, people were hesitant to apply after the deviancy spike in Detroit. They were sure it was nothing to worry about, but it would be once an android who was set out for a leadership role became free.

Although nothing was for certain, the doctor hoped that someone would rise up to take that position someday. Maybe even in the near future. Y/N let their eyes shut for a minute, envisioning a perfect world. It wasn't uncommon to daydream, but nobody really told anyone about their dreams. Dreams of a better world. Everyone claimed that 2038 was the peak of mankind, that life couldn't get _any_ better.

Y/N always thought they were wrong. They always _knew_ they were wrong.

Because one day, the androids would realize how crooked they had been treated. How horribly they had been abused. And on that day, they would rise.

Y/N could feel it.

_"Wishing I could write my name on it."_


	10. Jericho - Markus

_"Will you call,"_

**NOV. 6TH, 2038** **  
** **05:19 AM**

**FIND** Y/N L/N

ENTER **APARTMENT** **  
**TALK TO **Y/N L/N**

Markus stood in the center of Detroit, the heart of the city, if you will. He had never experienced it quite like he did that night. He could feel emotions, he could feel himself enjoying the soft rain pattering down on his face. The android tried to stay out of the gaze of any pedestrians walking by, but luckily, there weren't many people strolling the sidewalks at five in the morning. So, he stepped across the crosswalk, gazing around for the apartment building that would lead him to where Y/N L/N was.

He had been probing androids' memories, constantly asking if they had any information on where they would be. A few of them had fuzzy memories of passing them by on the street and watching them go into an old, abandoned apartment building. Markus blinked his green and blue eyes, seeing a large, brick building in front of him. It had matched the other's memories almost exactly, with a few minor details added, of course.

So, he made his way towards it on the sidewalk, ignoring the rainwater dripping down his forehead and sprinkling down his neck. Nothing was quite like walking around the entirely lit-up city of Detroit at night. Each window told a story, including the one he stood in front of on that early November morning.

The android pushed his index finger against the doorbell, hearing the faint chime, even from the outside. Barely a minute passed and the door opened, revealing a human in messy, paint-covered clothing. He could tell that the person recognized his model, so they must have had some background. Nobody could recognize the RK200, it was a unique build and series of androids in general.

"I was told you could help me." Markus greeted the person across from him, ignoring the scratchiness of his voice box. He was sure that they were quite confused, he was drenched with mud and water.

They nodded, pulling themselves to the side and letting the android into the building. "Of course, come in." Markus stepped inside, looking back at the human as they shut the door. "What's your name?" They inquired, looking at the android.

 **FIND** Y/N L/N

ENTERED **APARTMENT** **  
**TALK TO **Y/N L/N**

"Markus." He replied shortly. "I was told you could take me to a safe haven for androids."

"Yeah, yeah of course." They nodded profusely, turning around to face another human, who was sitting on the floor with earbuds in. She must not have heard Markus come in. "Let me get you the map." The human walked over to their reception desk, swinging their body around and facing the computer.

Markus walked over as well, standing on the other side of the desk and patiently waiting for the answer so he could get to the android haven. They finished tapping against the keyboard, and the android's LED began to blink yellow. Fuzzy images of graffiti showed itself, and the words _Ferndale Station_ appeared in his mind. His LED stabilized back to its normal light blue colour as he returned to reality. Markus glanced down at his palm, a hologram of a strange symbol in a drawing of a human appearing.

The human seemed to notice this, and smiled lightly. "I'm Y/N." They introduced themself to Markus. "This is a hospital for deviants." The android tilted his head, that was completely unheard of. "If you ever need help, or extra thirium, come here. We can help you get some."

He nodded, looking out at the front door and taking a step backwards. "Thank you, Y/N."

"No problem, Markus."

With that, the android completely turned around, his large, thick coat swinging behind him as he exited the apartment building. He opened his palm again, viewing the first part of graffiti. He had to find Ferndale Station.

 **FIND** Y/N L/N

ENTERED **APARTMENT** **  
**TALKED TO **Y/N L/N**

LOCATE **ANDROID SAFE HAVEN**

∭∭∭

**NOV. 6TH, 2038** **  
** **04:30 PM**

Markus held onto the pole on the Ferndale train, gazing up at the news report being displayed on one of the screens. He wasn’t really paying attention, his mind was watching the android compartment, the place where he used to be held captive every night.

He gazed out the window as the bus slowed to a stop, the doors opening to reveal Ferndale Station. Markus stepped out, looking over the large sign that announced the place where he needed to be.

His mind scattered to the android at the solid waste landfill. Markus remembered how his LED blinked yellow with his final words before he deactivated. _“There’s a place where we can be free!”_ His static-filled voice called out. _“Go find Y/N L/N, they will take you there!”_

The RK200 looked back down at his palm as his mind returned back to the station, he gazed down at the symbol the doctor had given to him.

LOOK FOR THE **GRAFFITI**

Graffiti was littered all over the brick walls, it would be virtually impossible to find one that looked like the human with the symbol. Well, that is, if Markus wasn’t an android capable of scanning his surroundings.

Dead in front of him tood a beautiful mural of people behind a red background. All he needed to find was the odd painting with the strange symbol in the middle. With his long jacket still trailing behind him, Markus stepped around for a bit, turning around and finding the piece of graffiti painted against one of the back walls. He gazed over it, analyzing the strange symbol that was in the center of it.

CLUE **UPDATED**

His eyes fluttered open and shut, and Markus gazed down at his hand again. The hologram had changed to graffiti with a lion on it, but the same symbol was spray-painted beside it.

FIND THIS **GRAFFITI**

Markus placed his hand back down, letting the hologram disappear completely from his hand once again. He stepped against the concrete flooring, his feet clicking every once in a while as he scanned the environment. Graffiti was all around him, and he hoped it would be easy to find the android haven.

One of the buses stopped in front of him, and he gazed at it for a few moments before stepping onto the escalator. As a regular android, he was only permitted to take the stairs, and it was a strange feeling to be lifted to the lower floor. As he rode down, he looked at the android advertisement on screen, the words _‘Buy yours today!’_ making him feel sick.

The escalator stopped underneath him, and Markus continued to make his way through Ferndale station. In front of him stood an android docking station that held a singular android, her LED a stable blue as she stayed in power-saving mode.

He walked over to her, gripping her arm and looking at her. “Do you know where Jericho is?” He asked, only for the android’s LED to blink yellow before she turned her head back forward. She didn’t have any answers.

But luckily, to Markus’ right was a large brick wall, the lion graffiti plastered over it. The symbol was painted over it, just like in the picture Doctor L/N had given to him. He looked over the hologram, scanning the symbol and watching as it lit up blue in his mind. Another one was drawn on one of the other pieces of artwork, and it clicked together like a puzzle.

CLUE **UPDATED**

The prototype android gazed over to his dirty hand again, seeing a perfect hologram of one of the streets. It looked like the photo was taken from above, showing off a red, pink and yellow striped building with stars drawn on it. He couldn’t help but notice the strange symbol he had scanned before, replacing one of the stars.

FIND THIS **GRAFFITI**

Markus quickly walked around one of the Detroit flower shops, crossing the road when the lines turned green and avoiding the public eye as much as he could. He didn’t want someone to potentially recognize him.

He turned around at the sound of his owner’s name being discussed by two humans. “Did you hear about that artist, Carl Manfred?” The man asked. Markus tried to be discreet as he eavesdropped, pretending he was waiting for the crosswalk to turn green so he could cross to the other side of the sidewalk.

“Yeah, I hope he makes it.” The woman across from him replied genuinely.

“I heard his android attacked him.”

“Wh-Where’d you hear that?” She asked, baffled.

“I read it somewhere.”

The woman scoffed, placing a cigarette to her mouth as she sat on one of the staircases that led up to the apartments surrounding her. “Don’t believe everything you read.”

Markus shook his head, crossing the road once again. From the sidewalk, he could see the rainbow building, covered in drawn stars. He had to say, it looked beautiful. It stood out from the rest of the dull and gray buildings that were scattered around Detroit. It reminded him of himself, a deviant amongst regular androids. An android that stood out against its peers.

He looked up at the symbol painted on the wall, a chain fence blocking him from passing over to the graffiti. Nonetheless, he scanned the first one, gazing around the other buildings around it to try and find the other one. Luckily, it was only on the other side of the rainbow-painted brick storage building.

CLUE **UPDATED**

The prototype opened his hologram again, seeing another symbol graffitied behind a fence. It was sprayed on top of a robot drawing.

FIND THIS **GRAFFITI**

Markus made his way around the town again, walking across the sidewalk and looking for any signs of another fence. He found one fairly quickly, seeing the symbol and robot art sitting across from it.

He scanned the symbol, and a secondary one. The third was barely out of his reach, and he looked around before ducking down under a hole in the fence. On the other side, Markus spotted the third symbol behind a wooden palette. He removed it and scanned it, turning all three symbols a bright and shimmering blue.

CLUE **UPDATED**

Another hologram materialized on Markus’ palm. showing the symbol next to a beautiful work of graffiti of a woman’s face.

FIND THIS **GRAFFITI**

The android looked around again, his neck craning to try and spot any clues he could find. He stepped through a hole in the fence, immediately spotting the graffiti on one of the walls across from him. The symbol, just like in the photo, stood tall right next to it. Markus couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the symbols were leading him to as he scanned the next piece of artwork he needed.

He needed two other symbols before he could gather the next piece of graffiti. So, he looked around, spotting one _just_ out of reach of his view.

FIND A WAY TO **REACH THE ROOF**

Markus looked around, spotting a blue dumpster to his right. He took a hold of the handles and dragged it across the uneven concrete, pushing it against the brick wall. The android braced himself before lunging on top of the object, hoisting his legs down and pulling his hands onto the rooftop.

He quickly gathered his bearings, brushing off his hands before looking around for the symbols once again. Both of the others were painted white in another portrait of some kind of person with cogs and wheels in their skull. It was a beautiful piece of art, but if Markus wished to look at paintings, he would’ve gone to a gallery.

CLUE **UPDATED**

The next clue was another symbol, hiding amongst bright yellow painted words on yet another brick wall.

FIND THIS **GRAFFITI**

He looked down towards a hole in the large road he had been walking across, retracting the hologram from his palm once again. The underneath was filled with old storage containers, and the other chunk of road was too far to jump across regularly.

Markus stepped back a bit, looking over the large gap in the road from further away. He closed his eyes, letting his body stay on the ground as he preconstructed any ways he could get to the other side.

His first option was to jump straight across the gap, but it would most likely end up with him falling to the ground and making no progress.

WOULD BE **TOO UNSTABLE**

He rewound himself back, instead looking at what would happen if he jumped on the wall. The small silhouette of Markus bounded his foot against the bricks and pushed himself onto the bar sticking out above a window.

PATH **UNLOCKED**

The android took a deep breath, executing the path. He scaled the wall to the best of his ability, gaining a few steps. As soon as gravity began to hit him, Markus leaped off of the bricks and held his hands onto the metal bar. It was slippier than he had calculated, but he jumped off and landed back on the road without an issue. He let out a sharp breath of air, standing up and brushing off his coat and pants.

Another break in the road showed itself to Markus, but instead of bounding over it, he jumped down onto a pile of brick-like waste. He looked up as he landed, seeing the words _‘Sparkle City’_ graffitied on the wall.

Three of the symbols were plastered on the mural, and Markus scanned them all, looking over the artwork one more time before looking back down at his hand.

CLUE **UPDATED**

The hologram consisted of an indoor screen. Old and rusted walls surrounded large, wooden beams holding up the ceiling. It looked desolate, the only unique thing about it being the small hole in the left side of the wall. Markus looked up, gazing at the broken fire escape ladder and door. It _had_ to lead to where the next symbol was.

He took a few steps backwards on the grass again, scanning the surrounding areas for any way to get onto the building.

Markus looked at the first option, of which he could jump onto an old, wooden table and then onto a storage container. He would jump onto the wall after, and maybe use one of the metal bars for his hands. But, it would only lead him to fall onto the storage container and slam his back into the corner.

WOULD NOT BE **SOLID ENOUGH**

Next, he gazed over to the large and broken metal platforms to his left. Markus would easily be able to run from underneath and grab onto the top, but the question was; what would he do next?

His first option was to run along the side of the building. A small, concrete ledge ran around most of the left wall. He could jump onto the rickety wooden platform and leap onto the fire escape, but he would most likely slip and fall on the metal. Markus knew it wasn’t a chance he could take, he needed to find the android haven.

WOULD BE **TOO HIGH**

The android sighed frustratedly, he wasn’t making any progress.

He finally spotted a way to get in. If he jumped from the rickety platform onto the side of the fire escape, he could use the broken ladder to climb into the door opening. Perfect.

PATH **UNLOCKED**

Markus cracked his knuckles and ran up to the metal platform, wrapping his hands around the top and pulling himself onto the roof-like structure. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He ran across the side ledge, leaping onto the wooden platform and onto the fire escape.

He finally reached the doorway, looking back out onto the small portion of the city before walking into the dark room. The smallest bit of sunlight poured through the windows, and the android could easily spot the hold in the wall with the afternoon light’s help. He crawled through the old, turning around to see a deactivated android slumped against one of the wooden beams.

They must have died on their way to the haven. He was covered with dirt and mud, he had been there for longer than Markus could tell.

Slowly, he looked around the small coven. There were no signs of the symbol anywhere, would he really never make it to freedom?

Hope was not lost, as his body slipped past a lined-up beam. He took a step back, looking at the symbol that had perfectly lined itself up against the other walls. Markus scanned the red symbol, letting the final hologram take over the palm of his calloused hand. Of course, they were fake calluses, but they were still there.

CLUE **UPDATED**

The final picture was a simple hole in the wall, no symbol, no graffiti, just wooden beams and bricks stacked on top of each other. Markus lifted his hand back down once again, gazing at a hold in the wall on the other side of the room.

He pulled the small, wooden beams out of the way, letting himself walk underneath the concrete and into an alleyway-like area. He walked up a pair of steps, revealing the beautiful near-sunset view to him. Markus could see the old boat, Jericho, standing across from him. It hadn’t been in use for years, but maybe that was what the humans wanted everyone to think.

Markus looked at the old, metal bridge that had been broken on the way to the boat. He attempted to walk across it, only for the bridge to completely collapse and break underneath his weight. The metal slammed against the concrete flooring, creating a large crashing noise. No one was around, luckily, so Markus only stepped back and tried to recoup his thoughts.

FIND ANOTHER WAY **ONTO THE BOAT**

The android looked over to a large pipe, and he used the concrete dividers on the road to hoist himself up onto the platform. He was met with a small, metal staircase, and- of course- Markus let his feet carry him to the top, what was left of the sunlight beginning to caress his cold cheeks.

Jericho was beautiful in the late afternoon, and Markus made an effort to look over its rusty walls as he scaled the strange pipe. He climbed one of the ladders, trying not to scrape his synthetic skin against the harsh metal.

In front of him stood another large bridge, leading straight towards the boat. Markus let out a sharp breath before jogging lightly across it, slowing to a stop at the end of the metal. He looked down at the water below him.

Markus took a deep breath in, letting his feet lift up from underneath him. His body slowly fell down, the cold, November air fluttering against his skin.

He was brought back to reality as his body hit the icy cold water. Although he couldn’t truly feel pain, his sensors were going haywire, making him shiver deeply.

The android’s jacket had been lost against the slight current of the water, but Markus paid no mind to it. Instead, he began to scale one of the ladders across from him, bringing his body out of the water and onto the rusty concrete of Jericho. He walked down a long hallway, ignoring the water beginning to drip onto his skin.

Markus looked over an old, yellow door, grabbing onto the wheel and rotating it, opening the strange door. He walked through, only to find another corridor. Amongst it was a flashlight, still sitting in its emergency box. He clicked it on, lighting up the water below him and the rest of the hallway.

He sludged through the ankle-deep water, trying to make his way through the dimly-lit boat he was navigating. Each room began to seem like the last, with locked doors circling his every move. Finally, he found one that opened, letting him look out onto- what looked like- a boiler room.

Everything around Markus was rusted, years and years of water damage surrounding his every move. He walked down across the metal grates, making his way through the boiler room.

Suddenly, the metal path underneath him began to tear, falling down to the ground below. He tried to get to the other side, his thirium pump regulator pounding in his stomach as he tried to escape the falling bridge.

No matter how fast he ran, his feet were swept up from underneath him. His body slammed against one of the metal beams holding the boat up, sending the breath (that he didn’t really need) out of his body. He slammed to the ground, the flashlight falling out of his hands.

Markus stumbled, standing up and looking around. Androids of all kinds surrounded him. Some still wore their CyberLife uniforms, others were donned with more human-like apparel.

A red-haired male android stepped in front of the others. “Welcome to Jericho.”

_"when you're back at school?"_


	11. Jericho - Y/N

_"I remember thinking,"_

Nighttime had fallen onto the android hospital, the flickering lights calling out for their bulbs to be replaced. Y/N looked around the ripped and dirty wallpaper that they were painting over. Inez sat beside them, helping with their earbuds shoved far into their ears. Doctor L/N sighed, dipping the paint roller into the paint and brushing the pigment onto the walls. Pharlap was a mix of brown and pink, but it was mostly brown. It wasn't plain white or blue, which helped deviants separate themselves from the constant perfection they were coded into.

They were nowhere near done, but by the time Inez and Y/N had gotten one of the hallway walls painted, the doorbell rang out. It echoed through the corridor loudly, causing Y/N to stand up and place the paint roller back in the paint tray. They brushed their hands off and walked across the floors, pushing the front door open.

An android stood in front of them. Mud and rain covered every inch of him, he looked almost broken. "I was told that you could help me." The RK200 spoke. It was Carl Manfred's android, there was no other of his model.

"Of course, come in." Y/N motioned him out of the rain and into the hospital. They quickly shut the door, facing the android across from them. "What's your name?" They asked.

"Markus." He replied, and only then did the doctor notice his abnormal eyes. He had heterochromia, which wasn't programmed into androids at all. “I was told you could take me to a safe haven for androids.”

Y/N nodded. Although they didn’t know the exact location of what they called _Jericho,_ they had met the androids living in the haven. They could easily give Markus the clues they had been given, the strange symbols that circulated around Detroit. As they had discovered, only androids could follow the pieces of art.

The doctor blinked a few times, glancing over to Inez. She was still listening to music, her head swaying back and forth every couple of minutes. “Let me get you the map.” Y/N replied, walking backwards and stationing themselves at their desk.

Their computer monitor opened up at the sight of their face, unlocking and showing all of the files that were saved. Y/N pulled a hard drive out of the bag that was sitting on the desk, shoving it into the computer and letting it load in the files. They opened the one labelled _From Simon_. Simon was one of the deviants that had been taken in by Y/N and the hospital, and he had entrusted them with the clues to Jericho.

Markus’ LED blinked yellow as Y/N exported the files into his mind palace. They couldn’t help but look at him as they did so. It was crazy, they had never come across a prototype android before, and the one standing in front of them was personally articulated and gifted to Carl Manfred by Elijah Kamski _himself_.

They shook their head, watching as the files finished copying into Markus’ programming. The doctor pulled out the hard drive and placed it back in their bag, facing the android with a small smile as he looked down at the hologram on his hand. “I’m Y/N.” They greeted. “This is a hospital for deviants. So, if you ever need help, or extra thirium, come here.” Markus looked at them, his head tilted a bit. “We can help get you some.”

The android took a step back, looking at the door before gazing back at the doctor. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“No problem, Markus.”

∭∭∭

A harsh knocking came from the hospital door, causing Y/N’s back to straighten out abruptly in shock. They stood up from their sitting position on the floor, stretching their legs and leaving Inez to continue painting by herself. They looked through the peephole in the door, seeing an older man and an android standing outside.

Y/N quickly opened the door, greeting the two with a polite smile. “Hi, how can I help you?”

“I’m Lieutenant Hank Anderson with the DPD.” Y/N’s stomach dropped as the older man announced himself to be with the law enforcement. “This is Connor. We’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

The doctor merely nodded, still smiling to hide their nervousness. What exactly did they know about the hospital? “Of course, come in.” They opened the door widely for them, letting the two walk into the old apartment building. “I’d offer you some kind of refreshment, but we’re in the middle of moving in.” The android- Connor- looked at them skeptically. “We’re planning on getting a license and turning this into a motel.”

“Look, I’ll cut to the chase.” Lieutenant Anderson began, causing Y/N to turn their head towards him. “Have you seen an AX400 in the area?”

They had to tell a half-lie. Nothing that wasn’t true, but nothing that was enough to compromise Alice and Kara. They had no idea what Connor was capable of, he could probably find where they lived if he tried hard enough.

“No.” Y/N shook their head. “I know that there was one next door to my house and working for my neighbor, but other than that, I haven’t seen any of that model.”

Hank sighed. “Do ya’ mind if we take a look around?”

“Go ahead.” The doctor smiled, stepping back and letting the two DPD workers walk towards the elevators. “Some of the doors are locked, we’re still working on getting a locksmith to give us a grandmaster key.” They yelled out to them, making sure that it wasn’t suspicious that the doors to the main hospital rooms were locked.

The two officers walked into the elevator, and as soon as the door closed, Y/N let out a sigh of relief. Inez walked up to them, paint covering almost every inch of her clothing.

“What was that all about?” She asked.

“They’re from the DPD.” Y/N replied.

Inez’s eyes widened. “Shit, I’ll get the bag, just in case we need to make a run for it.”

The bag was what was on the reception desk. It was filled with clues to Jericho, plans to get biocomponents and blue blood, maps of Detroit and CyberLife warehouses, it was top secret information.

“Wait.” Y/N stated, grasping onto their friend’s arm. “I helped an AX400 last night, they’re looking for her. If they find out I tampered with the situation, they’ll take me in.” Inez looked at them, panicked. “If that happens, I need you to take the bag and run to Ferndale Station. Text Simon, he’ll take you to Jericho.”

Lieutenant Anderson and Connor came back down the elevator, announcing their arrival to the bottom floor with the chime of the doors opening and their shoes clicking. Y/N and Inez turned to them, ignoring the conversation they had had just moments before.

“Thanks for your cooperation.” Hank nodded towards them. “If you see anything, call it in.”

Y/N and Inez waved as the two left, both heaving out sighs as their feet disappeared out onto the sidewalk and out the door.

The girl next to the doctor laughed, still partly in shock. “I guess we need to lay low for a while, huh?”

_"I had you."_


End file.
